Kingdom Hearts: Reality Sleeps
by Gilded13Lily
Summary: Involves original characters and main canons. Ilene and Jaden find themselves in the world of Kingdom Hearts, where a group of envious and baneful Nobodies plans to break through to the world of reality to destroy it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ilene switched her bundle of books to her other arm and glanced down at her wristwatch; 3:26. She grunted impatiently. Almost the entire student body had already left, but she stood next to the main doors waiting for her brother. Most days it wouldn't irritate her so much, waiting for him while he chatted with his friends, but it was the last day of school and she would rather head home than stand around like an idiot.

A sharp shove interrupted her thoughts, causing her to stumble and drop her books. She quickly spotted the culprit; Alecia, the school's head cheerleader, and her pack of vicious prairie dogs had come from inside and had either not seen her there or hadn't bothered to care. She was about to murmur an apology when Alecia, not bothering to help her as she fumbled to retrieve her books, spat a rude comment about dweebs belonging 'in the library' not 'in the way'. Ilene stifled her apology and picked up her books. Another cheerleader, Mia, sent her an apologetic look, wanting to help but also not wanting to incur the wrath of Alecia. Standing, she nearly dropped a few books again but managed to keep a hold of them. She then spotted her brother and his two best friends, Carter and Riley, coming out of the cafeteria entrance.

"Jaden!" She hollered. He didn't seem to hear her and continued talking to his friends. They were making extravagant gestures and laughing wildly as they spoke, probably about one of the many video games they were obsessed with. Ilene jogged toward them and Jaden finally noticed her.

Seeing her expression, his features turned guilty. "Sorry, Sis…" He apologized.

"Can we go?" He nodded and they all headed to the student parking lot where her old Subaru was waiting. After dropping off both Carter and Riley at their homes they finally headed to their own. Once they arrived, Jaden hurried inside for a snack. Ilene shook her head and grinned. Teenage boys ate a LOT. Jaden ate _more_. Even before he'd hit puberty he'd been a tall kid. He had passed her in height when he was 10. This wasn't a difficult feat, of course. At 5'2 and with a young face, people often believed that Ilene was younger than Jaden and often mentioned the bitter irony that your 'little' brother was bigger than she was.

After putting her book bag and her pile of books in her room, Ilene headed into the kitchen to do her chores. Jaden had already put a thick sandwich together and took it into his room, clearly intending to do his own chores "later". When she finished, Ilene went back up to her room and decided to read one of her many nonfiction books. At around 5:34 she heard the familiar jingle of keys as someone unlocked the front door and hopped back down the stairs.

"Hey, Mom!" She greeted.

"Hey, how was your last day?" Diane asked.

"It was fine." Ilene shrugged. "I finally got the rest of my books out of my locker." Diane chuckled.

"That's good, considering that school won't be open again until summer school starts. You wouldn't have anything to read!"

"Well, I still had the _rest_ of my books upstairs, but some of my favorites were at school. So, what are we making for dinner?" Ilene inquired.

"I was thinking Alfredo."

"A commendable suggestion." Ilene grinned. She helped Diane prepare dinner then set the table before heading upstairs to tell Jaden. She softly rapped on the door, then again a little louder when he didn't respond. Through the door she could hear his T.V. playing whatever game he was engrossed in.

"Jaden, dinner's done." She called. Still no answer. Rolling her eyes, she opened the door to find Jaden face down on the floor in front of the television. "Jaden?" She rolled him over attempting to wake him up but nothing happened.

"Mom!" She cried, running to the stairs. "Mom, something's wrong with Jaden!"

"What?" Diane hurried out of the kitchen. Her worry stricken expression changed to panic when she saw Jaden on the floor. Ilene ran back downstairs to call for an ambulance while Diane checked on him.

* * *

><p>Jaden was in a coma.<p>

The doctors hadn't given them a definite reason as to what had caused it and Ilene took this to mean that they didn't know. Diane paced in both frantic worry and impatience at the foot of Jaden's hospital bed, Ilene curled up silently in a chair. It had grown late by now and Ilene's eyes drooped, but she forced them to stay open. The ringing of Diane's cell phone caused both of them to jump.

"It's your father." Diane explained. She then retreated into the hall to answer it. Ilene glanced over at Jaden. His thick blond hair, which usually had a personality of its own, lay flat and his features looked too still, empty of the expressiveness he usually showed. Was he dreaming? If so, she hoped it was a happier dream than his reality.

Only when Diane gently shook her did she realize she'd fallen asleep. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, forcing herself to wake back up. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" Diane recommended.

"It's okay, I can stay." Ilene answered.

"Go home. There's nothing for you to do here, and you're clearly tired." Diane offered a hesitant smile. Ilene surrendered and gave Diane a hug and then headed home. Before going to sleep, she stepped into the bathroom and looked at her disheveled appearance in the mirror. Her hair was unkempt from the grim night they'd had and her ivory skin somehow seemed even paler. She ran a brush through her dark hair then washed off what remained of what little makeup she wore and fell asleep on the couch in the living room. Her hopes that Diane would accidentally wake her when she came home were denied when she awoke the next morning to sunlight streaming in through the window behind the couch. Ilene had driven the car home last night, but her father could have given Diane a lift later. A quick glance into her mom's room proved this idea false. Diane must have stayed at the hospital all night.

Ilene stopped herself before heading out to the car when she realized that Carter and Riley didn't know about Jaden's condition yet. She sprinted up to Jaden's room and searched for his cell phone, finding it beneath his bed. She briefly called both of them, letting them know where he was, and put Jaden's phone on his computer desk. A soft 'psst' startled her. Turning, she realized that in the emergency of the situation they had forgotten to turn off his T.V. and console last night.

On the screen, a character with a striking resemblance to Mickey Mouse bounced up and down, waving frantically at the screen. He then held a finger to his lips in a silent 'shh' and stepped back from the screen, gesturing for the audience to follow quietly. It seemed a little cheesy to have a character break the 'fourth wall' by addressing the audience, but Ilene just shook her head and turned to leave. Another soft 'psst' made her pause and when she looked back at the screen Mickey was looking in her new direction gesturing for her to come back. That definitely seemed odd. Ilene's brows furrowed together as she stepped in front of the T.V. again, his eyes still following her. This sent a shiver down her spine.

She'd never been into games, but they had definitely advanced if they could make a character follow some kind of movement. She was about to leave when Mickey raised his hand and snapped. Odd swirls of colors flicked from his fingers as if the sound had become visible. When the color swirled out of the television, however, she stumbled back with a shriek of surprise. She hadn't even hit the ground before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2! lol Chapter 1 was a bit short, so I decided to put 2 up as well since it was done. Enjoy. =)

Chapter 2

Consciousness had only partly returned to her, but Ilene felt a warm, gentle breeze blanketing her with the strong aroma of salty water. The roar of what sounded like the water pulled her further out as she focused on its soothing waves. She was only faintly aware of the sand beneath her, its powdery graininess pressing into her skin.

"Kairi, there's someone over here!" A feminine voice hollered.

"Who is it?" Another female voice replied. Several pairs of footsteps sprinted her way on the sand.

"I'm not sure, I've never seen her before." The footsteps stopped next to her and she was slowly rolled over onto her back. She cracked her eyes open, only to squint them closed again to keep the bright sunlight from intruding further.

"Are you okay?" The second female voice asked, probably in Ilene's direction. Ilene's reply was a faint groan. Her head felt fuzzy and her everything tingled almost painfully, like she had accidentally stuck her entire body in an electrical socket and the numbness had started to fade. She slowly opened her eyes again, seeing a young red-head and a brunette, whose hair curled out unnaturally. They were both kneeling over her in concern.

"Can you move?" The brunette asked. She didn't answer, consciousness beginning to slip away again.

"Do you think she's from the same place?"

"Could be."

"Sora! Riku!" The red-head yelled, looking over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" A young male asked.

"Who is that?" Another asked. More footsteps neared them. Ilene didn't catch the rest of the conversation, her eyes sliding closed again as everything became muffled. She faintly felt someone lift her before drifting into blackness once more.

* * *

><p>Ilene finally awoke to unfamiliar surroundings, resting on someone else's bed. She pushed herself into a sitting position looking around the dim room. Where was she? It seemed harmless and friendly, but unfamiliarity had always made her uncomfortable. Although, she assumed most people would be cautious if they woke up somewhere they didn't know. She vaguely remembered a dream, lying in the sand while two girls checked to see if she was okay. Had it been a dream? She wasn't sure.<p>

She swung her feet onto the floor and saw an unfamiliar pair of black knee-high boots. Looking down, she didn't recognize the rest of her clothing either. She wore a black half-jacket with a white spaghetti strap tank top underneath. Holding the jacket on was a heart shaped buckle. She also wore a slanted white skirt, reaching her knees in the back and just below the middle of her thighs in the front. Two thick black buckle straps hung from the back of the skirt, appearing to me more for decoration that serving an actual purpose. She'd certainly never dressed like this before. Around her, she could make out odd decorations in the room. Some decorations looked like things she would recognize, but they were different somehow. Not quite what they should be.

Ilene stood and stepped tentatively over to the curtained window. Squinting as she pushed the curtains aside, she concluded that nothing outside looked familiar either. She pressed her back against the wall next to the window and took a deep breath to calm herself. Where was she? She would never find out if she stayed suctioned to the wall so she listened for a moment. The house was quiet so she ventured to the door, tip-toeing just in case. After peeking out the door, she discerned that it was safe and walked quietly into the hallway, sunlit by tiny windows along the ceiling. The hall turned a corner and then she reached a staircase. She paused with her back to the wall, listening for anything, and was about to step out when a door opened and a bundle of voices drifted up the stairs.

Ilene quietly sprinted back to the room she'd been in, growing more anxious when the stairs started to creak. She looked around frantically for a weapon and spotted something promising in the corner. A broom! The voices grew closer and she snatched the broom, bracing herself quietly against the wall next to the hinge side of the door. Someone shushed and the voices quieted to a stop, then the door opened slowly. A figure stepped into her line of view and she swung the broom.

"Ooof!" The young man arched over clasping his gut, his extravagantly spikey brown hair drooping. Another male in the hallway started laughing while someone else bent over to check on the boy. Ilene moved to the nearest corner of the room, brandishing the broom like a sword toward the door. Someone flicked a light switch and the room illuminated. Ilene recognized the red-haired girl, still bent next to the spikey haired boy, and the brunette girl whose hand still rested on the light switch, from earlier. So it hadn't been a dream. The two young men must have been who they'd called to. The other boy was tall and had long hair of an interesting light purple, almost white shade. The brunette joined the tall young man in laughter when she realized what had happened, but both of them stopped when they looked over at Ilene.

She must have looked terrified since the brunette held up her hands and said, "Don't worry, no one's going to hurt you." Ilene relaxed a little, but didn't lower the broom. "I'm Selphie, and this is Kairi, Sora, and Riku." The brunette offered with a smile as she gestured to each in turn. Sora and Kairi both straightened and Sora put his hand on his head with a nervous smile.

"Guess we startled you. Sorry about that." He said. A pang of guilt struck Ilene and she lowered the broom.

"I'm so sorr—" She began. He waved off her apology before she could finish.

"No worries." He grinned.

"What's your name?" Riku asked now stepping into the room.

"Ilene."

"Ilene." Kairi repeated the name and smiled. "That's a pretty name."

"Um, thank you." Ilene smiled. Where was she? The question continued repeating in her mind until she realized what was happening. Strange people she'd never seen before today, the odd clothing, the subtle differences in her surroundings that didn't quite seem like reality. Clearly, she was dreaming. She hadn't actually woken up that morning and her brain had just thrown her into a strange dream. That had to be it.

"Here, why don't you come get some fresh air." Selphie suggested, leaning the broom against the wall and leading her out into the hallway. Once outside, Ilene took in a deep breath of salty air and remembered that they'd been on a beach before. She perked up instantly at thoughts of walking ankle deep in the clear blue water. There was no reason she couldn't enjoy the dream and she'd always wanted to see a beach. Kairi seemed to notice.

"I think she wants to go back to the beach." She giggled. Ilene blushed awkwardly, her smile widening as the others laughed.

"You guys head over there and I'll go check back in at home real quick." Sora suggested.

"I'll come with you." Kairi smiled. He smiled, too, and slipped his fingers into hers. They waved their goodbyes and headed down the dirt road. Then Selphie directed Ilene in the opposite direction toward the beach, Riku following.

"I've never been to the beach before." Ilene said.

"No?" Riku looked down at her. She had to squint to look up at him, the sun behind him casting him into silhouette.

"No." She shook her head. "I've always lived inland."

"You'll love it!" Selphie beamed. The faint roar of the waves grew gradually louder and louder until the road peeked at a hill and she could see it. Crystal gleaming waves slid along the white beach promising refreshment from the heated sun. Ilene smiled and broke into a run. Selphie and Riku laughed and ran after her. As soon as she reached sand she removed her boots—discarding them—and sprinted toward the water. Selphie followed Ilene in and splashed water at her. Ilene shrieked with surprise and then retaliated with splashing of her own, both giggling. Another splash from behind her made Ilene screech again and Riku laughed, continuing to splash her. An odd lumpy blue ball landed between Selphie and Ilene in the water, startling them both into louder laughter.

"Hey!" Two young men greeted from further down the beach. One was blond and the other had bright orange hair with a streak that stood straight up in the front. She had to admit, between all the odd hair and interesting clothing they all had, her imagination must have been in overdrive or something. No way would she have ever come up with this stuff under normal circumstances. Maybe it was all the sudden stress about her brother.

"I'd better go and give this back." Selphie smiled, rolling her eyes. Ilene nodded and Selphie scampered off with the ball. Heading out of the water, Ilene started wringing water out of her clothing, glad that the white fabric was thick enough that it hadn't become transparent once it was soaked.

"Have you always lived here?" She asked Riku, who didn't seem to mind that his clothing had gotten wet. Maybe he was used to it. He _did_ live near a beach.

"Yeah." She'd moved to wringing her long hair out. "Where are you from?"

"Belleville." He didn't seem to know what she meant, but didn't say so.

"Do you like it there?" She released her hair, glancing down at the water.

"I suppose I like it well enough. Where are we, by the way?"

"Destiny Island." Destiny Island, huh? Maybe her imagination needed a _little_ work.

"Hey, guys!" Sora and Kairi had returned, but they weren't alone. Spotting their third companion, Ilene's good mood evaporated. Jaden.

"Jaden?" Ilene gaped. Clearly her worries over her brother had now incorporated into the dream.

"So you do know him?" Riku asked.

"Yeah." She murmured, her expression dimming. "He's my brother." She quickly recovered, but Riku had already seen it.

"What's—" Before he could finish his inquiry Jaden called over.

"Hey, Sis!" He waved and jogged over to them.

"Hey." She grinned back at him.

"We need to talk." He grabbed her wrist.

"What? Woah!" She stumbled as he swiftly pulled her away from the others.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked. His smile was as wide as the ocean horizon next to them.

"Some place called Destiny Island. Why?"

"You know that game series I always play right? Kingdom Hearts?"

"I've heard you talk about it, yes."

"Well. . ." He was practically bouncing out of his shoes with excitement as he waited for her to catch what he was getting at.

"Jaden, what does your video game have to do with any of this?" He continued beaming at her and a twisted feeling gripped her stomach. "No, that's not . . . this is just a dream. I've been dreaming this entire time." She explained.

"What?" Jaden stopped bouncing and gave her an odd look. "No, you haven't. How could you be dreaming about someplace you don't know about? You're smart, but you're not psychic."

"Then this must not be what the game is about. My brain is creating this place on its own and interpreting it as a game I've heard you talk about."

"Ilene, that's Sora, Kairi and Riku. They're the main characters of the game. Selphie is from Final Fantasy 8 and the other two over there are Tidus and Wakka from Final Fantasy 10. Square Enix used characters from their games and created this one. The characters get to travel to other worlds that are all based on Disney Movies." Ilene looked at the sand under her feet. She'd seen Mickey Mouse on Jaden's television. But that was just part of the dream, too, right? Although, she'd never heard him talk about Mickey Mouse being in any games he played, or any other Disney characters for that matter. But still, that didn't mean. . .

"Sis, sorry to say it, but you're not exactly Tim Burton. You're all about logic, not creativity. I get that this isn't going to be easy for you to get—I don't even understand it myself—but somehow we're inside this game."

"No." She shook her head, taking a step back.

"Ilene, it's okay." He was grinning again. "Everyone here is really nice! I don't think they even know what swear words are. Oh! Yesterday—it was _so_ funny—we were all in town and Sora actually _walked into a __wall_ and didn't swear or anything like you would have—" Ilene turned away from him, hardly hearing him anymore. She had to be asleep. She _had_ to be. If she wasn't, then. . .

"Jaden," She whirled on him and he stumbled in surprise. "You're in a coma!"

"_W-What?_" Now he looked down at her in bafflement. "What do you mean I'm in a coma?"

"And if coming here sent you into a coma, then now that I'm here. . ." What would their parents do if both of them went into an unexplained coma within twenty-four hours? Jaden's coma was abnormal, but that would be absurd. They would be _so _worried. If Diane had even found her yet, that is. She might still be at the hospital.

"What do you mean I'm in a coma?" He repeated.

"Last night mom and I found you in a coma in front of your T.V." All of the humor and excitement faded from his features.

"But, that doesn't make any sense."

"_None_ of this makes any sense." They both fell silent.

"Is everything okay?" Kairi hollered. She, Sora and Riku were all looking their way with confused expressions. Ilene tried to compose herself.

"We'll figure this out, okay?" Jaden assured her. But even he didn't seem so sure. "Come on." He gestured for them to rejoin to the others.

0 0 0 0

They all ate dinner at a local restaurant. By the time they got there, Jaden was back to his usual exuberant, talkative self. Ilene didn't have much of an appetite and didn't feel like talking much. Selphie and Kairi didn't know what was wrong, but tried to cheer her up anyway. It worked a little, too. By the end of the meal the two of them had her laughing by adlibbing for anyone walking by the window. Sora and Jaden joined in eventually and a lot of people sent their table strange looks as they all laughed loudly. Ilene and Riku contributed the least, mostly just enjoying the amusing comments from the others.

After dinner Ilene managed to separate from the others and ventured back to the beach for some time to herself. It wasn't hard for her to find it again and she wandered along the water. She stopped when she reached a short dock and decided to lie at the end, dangling her feet in the water. The sun had nearly finished setting and stars now twinkled their way through twilight's vanishing light. She'd never really been able to see stars living in city lights. As she watched them dance, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, one of them could be Earth. That is, if she believed any of this really wasn't a dream. Soft footsteps on the dock behind her interrupted her thoughts and she lifted and turned to see Riku walking her way.

"Sorry. Jaden said there was no way you would get lost, but I wanted to be sure." She grinned as he sat next to her.

"The main road is 136 steps east of here and town is approximately 295 steps north-west once you're on the main road. From there, it's just a few blocks to Selphie's house, which is a little more than 100 more steps." Riku raised an eyebrow.

"That's both impressive and kind of intimidating." Ilene laughed and then silence took over. She wasn't sure why she could do it; it was just something her brain started doing subconsciously when she was younger. Maybe it had something to do with her photographic memory. As she watched the calming waves, he noticed the small object she'd been fiddling with absently. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's just a little crystal. I found it on my way here." She handed him the purple crystal shard.

"Crystals aren't very common on the island." He examined it. Ilene looked out at the sea again. "Are you okay?" He asked after a few minutes. "You seemed… distressed earlier." She debated which would be the better option; telling him the truth, or telling him she was fine. She went with the truth. If they were going to figure this out, they would need help.

"As I'm sure you've figured out, Jaden and I aren't from here."

"Yeah." Simple answers like these seemed common with Riku. She lowered her head a little, letting her hair hide her expression.

"He's in a coma."

"What?" The tone of his voice told her that at least he knew what a coma was. She hadn't been sure they had comas here. Or, if they did, if they called them the same thing.

"When he came here, he fell into a coma. Now that I'm here, I'm probably in one, too. Our parents have to be so worried." She wondered if Diane had found her yet. If she and Jaden couldn't get back, how long would their parents wait before giving up? What would happen to them here if their bodies died? Would their consciousness survive or would they simply cease to exist?

"I'll talk to Sora and Kairi tomorrow." Hearing him speak brought her out of her thoughts. "We'll come up with something." She nodded, though she wasn't sure what the three of them could come up with. But Jaden had said that the video game was about the three of them journeying to other worlds. Maybe they _could_ do it. This cheered her up and they decided to head back. She and Kairi would be staying at Selphie's house while Jaden stayed at Sora's. After making sure she got back to Selphie's house safely, Riku headed home.

Selphie's parents were nice, and didn't ask too many questions about why she had shown up out of nowhere. Weird stuff must have happened a lot on the island. Selphie and Kairi seemed determined to convince Ilene that they were having a regular slumber party. It even worked a little, until the stress of the day caught up with her wary mind and she drifted to sleep, where her subconscious couldn't lie.


End file.
